Ticking 350X

[boosted96cobra]

The tolerance is going to seem like that, but when it is running there is an oil film between the cam and journals. With a new cam (no marks) and shining up the journals will work fine.

With what your describing according to powroll your oil pump may be old and worn out.

Just use 1000-1200 grit sand paper and wd-40 and shine them up.

[DixiePlowboy]

^^^That sounds reasonable to me. I was studying other sites for the last few minutes and had found that several people have done that very thing to galled aluminum cam journals with good results, so between their testimony and your advice I feel pretty good about going that route.

I think that the problem that caused this happened in it's past. Reason being; that there was a bit of gasket maker(non OEM) on the side covers and cam cover, so I believe it's been apart recently. Day one or two of it's life with us, as I stated, I changed the oil and the filter. After doing so, I loosened the bolt holding the oil feed line to the head while the machine was idling....just barely broke it loose 1/8 of a turn, and oil squirted from around the copper washers enough to run down the cooling fins of the head and drip off....in just 2 seconds or so of the bolt being loosened. I believe it's pumping plenty of oil now, but I don't know what it went through before we got it.

It was ticking and a bit weak when we got it. After seeing the worn cam lobes and rocker faces(one is actually deeply dished the wrong way), it's easy to see why it didn't feel right.

I'll get to ordering rockers, gaskets, and a cam tomorrow. Thanks to all that responded and helped with advice and opinions!

[boosted96cobra]

That is exactly how mine was. The intake rocker arm was worn way in on mine.


I was told by the guy I bought mine from that it tipped over when it was still running and they picked it back up and rode it more, and the tick developed right after that. I think the oil in the oil bath for the cam ran dry from it being on its side and then wore really fast from the heat and lack of oil on the cam.

The honda car heads I ported and rebuilt for almost 2 years, day in and day out, I shined them up with no problems. Out of the hundreds I did and seen only 1 fail from the cam journals and it was from someone who ran diffrent cam caps which will not work because the cap and head head is lined bored. That is what drives me nuts when people are selling just the rocker cover on ebay not with the head. That is an almost sure failure as the head and cover will not match.

The other way they can fail is if the head is warped pretty bad. Surfacing the bottom doesn't help if it is warped bad enough to move the cam journals.

[DixiePlowboy]

I think the one I'm working on looks much worse. I've got a crappy camera, but I'll try to snap a pic or two in a little bit.

That is exactly how mine was. The intake rocker arm was worn way in on mine.

.

[DixiePlowboy]

I mic'ed the cylinder today to find that this X was on the original bore. Kinda figured that it would be with a Honda piston in it. Went ahead and ordered a 10.25:1 Wiseco kit(1st overbore), a Web Cam camshaft, and new Honda rocker arms.

I'm having new valves put in it with a thorough head cleaning and with a bit of good luck on shipping time, she'll be back together this weekend. I'm guessing the fresh bore, bump in compression, and bigger bumpstick in conjunction with the DG exhaust and 400EX carb it already had should bring her back to life with some giddy-up...